BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office will soon add a new helicopter to its fleet.
Bay County commissioners approved the purchase of a 2007 Bell Helicopter for more than two million dollars from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Bay County currently has two choppers, but both are more than 50 years old. One is a 1969 model and the other built in 1970.
Commissioners said it’s vital to ensure their deputies have the best equipment possible.
They said there are several reasons they decided to buy this helicopter.
“It’s faster, carries more people, it has basically night vision, it has real real powerful spotlight and there’s some other weather-oriented pieces on there that help them in flying maybe not so ideal conditions,” Tommy Hamm, District 1 Bay County Commissioner, said.
Commissioner Hamm said the helicopter is getting overhauled right now. There is no set time for when the chopper will arrive in Bay County.
